Handheld Electronic Device with Dedicated Standby Key

ABSTRACT

A handheld mobile communication device comprises a keyboard, a navigation actuator, and a dedicated standby key. The dedicated standby key is located along an edge of the handheld mobile communication device. The dedicated standby key is the only key in the handheld mobile communication device for initiating entry into a standby mode. The handheld mobile communication device further comprises a standby mode module arranged to disable, upon entry into the standby mode, the navigation actuator and at least a portion of the keyboard.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to handheld electronic devices,and more particularly, to improvements in arrangements that allow a userto enable and disable certain features of the handheld electronicdevices.

Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples ofsuch handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal dataassistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellulartelephones, and the like. Such handheld electronic devices are generallyintended to be portable, and thus are relatively small. Many handheldelectronic devices also features wireless communication capability,including wireless voice and data communication. With advances intechnology, handheld electronic devices are being configured to includegreater numbers of features while having relatively small form factorsthat may be readily stored (e.g. in a pocket or purse).

While convenient for mobility, storage and handling of the devices inand out of pockets or purses may increase the likelihood that a user mayinadvertently actuate one or more keys, resulting in excessive powerconsumption (battery drain) or unintended operations being carried out,such as making accidental calls or sending out inadvertent messages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in thefigures of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numeralsindicate corresponding, analogous or similar elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of various components that may befound in a handheld mobile communication device;

FIG. 2 is a front view of an illustrative handheld electronic device inaccordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 show illustrative flowcharts of methods in accordancewith various embodiments.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale.For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggeratedrelative to other elements for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As noted above, the present invention relates generally to improvementsin systems and methods for allowing a user to enable and disable certaindevice features.

In an illustrative embodiment, the invention may be practiced with ahandheld mobile communication device in a wireless operatingenvironment. Shown in FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of anillustrative mobile communication device 100. The communication device100 may comprise a number of components, including a main processor 102which controls the overall operation of communication device 100.Communication functions, including data and voice communications, may beperformed through a communication subsystem 104. The communicationsubsystem 104 may receive messages from and sends messages to a wirelessnetwork 200.

The main processor 102 may also interact with additional subsystems suchas a random access memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110,an auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 112, a data port 114, akeyboard 116, a trackball 117, a speaker 118, a microphone 120,short-range communications 122 and other device subsystems 124.

Some of the subsystems of the communication device 100 may performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, the display 110and the keyboard 116 may be used for both communication-relatedfunctions, such as entering a text message for transmission over thenetwork 200, and device-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist. The trackball 117 may be used for various navigation functions,such as navigating through a graphical user interface (GUI) menudisplayed on display 110. The trackball 117 may also be configured witha secondary actuation feature, such as allowing a user to depress thetrackball, to allow selection of a highlighted item.

Operating system software used by the main processor 102 is typicallystored in a persistent store such as flash memory 108. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that the operating system, specific deviceapplications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as the RAM 106.

The communication device 100 may send and receive communication signalsover the wireless network 200 after required network registration oractivation procedures have been completed. Network access may beassociated with a subscriber or user of the communication device 100.

The communication device 100 may be a battery-powered device and mayinclude a battery interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeablebatteries 130. In some embodiments, the battery 130 may be a smartbattery with an embedded microprocessor. The battery interface 132 iscoupled to a regulator (not shown), which assists the battery 130 inproviding power V+ to the communication device 100.

The main processor 102, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications 134 on the communicationdevice 100. The subset of software applications 134 that control basicdevice operations, including data and voice communication applications,will normally be installed on the communication device 100 during itsmanufacture.

The software applications 134 may include a messaging application 136.The messaging application 136 can be any suitable software program thatallows a subscriber or user of the communication device 100 to send andreceive wireless text communications. Various alternatives exist for themessaging application 136 as is well known to those skilled in the art.Messages that have been sent or received by the user are typicallystored in local storage such as flash memory 108 of the communicationdevice 100, or in some other suitable storage element in thecommunication device 100. In an alternative embodiment, some of the sentand received messages may be stored remotely from the device 100 such asin a data store of an associated host system that the communicationdevice 100 communicates with.

The software applications 134 may also include a standby mode module 137for providing arrangements for entering into and exiting out of a devicestandby mode. In accordance with various embodiments, the standby modemodule 137 may be used to disable certain functional features of thedevice, such as the keyboard 116 and the trackball 117. Illustrativeexamples will be described in detail further below.

Another program that may be executed by the communication device 100 isa password approval module 138 that may provide approval for userpasswords. The password approval module 138 may execute a passwordapproval method to determine whether the user password specified by theuser of the communication device 100 is approved.

The communication device 100 may further include a device state module140, an address book 142, a Personal Information Manager (PIM) 144, andvarious other modules 146. Additional applications may also be loadedonto the communication device 100 through at least one of the wirelessnetwork 200, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 112, the data port 114, theshort-range communications subsystem 122, or another subsystem 124.

The data port 114 enables a subscriber or user to set preferencesthrough an external device or software application and extends thecapabilities of the communication device 100 by providing forinformation or software downloads to the communication device 100 otherthan through a wireless communication network. The alternate downloadpath may, for example, be used to load an encryption key onto thecommunication device 100 through a direct and thus reliable and trustedconnection to provide secure device communication.

For voice communications, the overall operation of the communicationdevice 100 is substantially similar, except that the received signalsare output to the speaker 118, and signals for transmission aregenerated by the microphone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/Osubsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, can also beimplemented on the communication device 100. Although voice or audiosignal output is accomplished primarily through the speaker 118, thedisplay 110 can also be used to provide additional information such asthe identity of a calling party, duration of a voice call, or othervoice call related information.

Now referring to FIG. 2, shown is an illustrative handheld mobilecommunication device 200 which may contain the various componentsillustrated in FIG. 1. As shown, device 200 may include a keyboard 116having a plurality of keys for entering text and for operating variousfunctional features of the device 200. Keyboard 116 may also includespecial function keys, such as a call answer key 212 and a calldisconnect key 214. These special function keys 212, 214 may bededicated to their particular function, or alternatively they may bemulti-function keys having different functions depending on theparticular operating mode of device 200.

Device 200 may further include a navigation actuator, such as atrackball 117, for allowing a user to perform various navigation andselection functions as previously described with reference to FIG. 1.For example, trackball 117 may allow navigation and selection of a GUImenu displayed in display 110.

Because the trackball 117 experiences high utilization when the user isinteracting with the device 200, it is advantageous for the trackball117 to be centrally located on the front face of device 200. In thepresent illustrative embodiment, the trackball 117 is between the upperdisplay 110 and lower key field 116. Given this prominent centrallocation, the trackball 117 may be especially prone to inadvertent useractivation during handling and storage (e.g. in a pocket or purse),which may result in an undesired operation being executed. Keys in thekeyboard 116, such as the call answer key 212 and the call disconnectkey 214, may also be prone to inadvertent user activation when thedevice is handled and stored.

In order to avoid inadvertent user actuation of the trackball 117 andkeyboard 116, it is advantageous to place the trackball 117 and keyboard116 into a standby mode before storage (e.g. in a pocket or purse).However, in order to do so easily, the inventor has found it to beespecially advantageous to provide a dedicated standby key 220 in alocation that is less prone to inadvertent activation.

In this illustrative example, standby key 220 is provided along one edgeof device 200 and is the only key provided along that edge. Preferably,standby key 220 is a single-action key that allows the device 200 toinitiate the standby mode without the need to actuate any other key.

Standby key 220 may also be recessed so that it is substantially flushwith the edge of device 200. Due to its location, the recessed standbykey 220 is more difficult to actuate accidentally, and requires a moredefinitive user action.

In an embodiment, the standby key 220 may also be located such that itis easily identified simply by handling the device 200. For example, auser may identify that a key situated along the edge closest to thesmooth display 110, and opposite the edge closest to the keyboard 116,is the standby key 220. Thus, as a user is slipping the device 200 intoa pocket or purse, or taking the device 200 out of the pocket or purse,the user may actuate the standby key 220 without having to visuallyconfirm that it is the correct key.

In another embodiment, a key other than the standby key 220 may bedesignated to exit the standby mode. For example, the call disconnectkey 214 may be designated. In this case, in order to avoid inadvertentactuation, a “press-and-hold” may be required for a predetermined periodof time before the device 100 exits standby mode using this alternativekey.

In another embodiment, the trackball 117 may be used in combination withanother key to exit the standby mode. The combination may be sequential(within a predefined period of time), or simultaneous. For example, acombination of rolling trackball 117 and pressing a designated key otherthan the standby key 220 may trigger an exit from standby mode.Alternatively, pressing trackball 117 and a designated key other thanthe standby key 220 may trigger an exit from standby mode. Generallyspeaking, the combination of actions should be a combination thatrequires deliberate action and that is not likely to resultaccidentally.

Methods of entering and exiting standby mode in device 200 in accordancewith various embodiments are now described with reference to FIG. 3,FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

Now referring to FIG. 3, shown is a method 300 in accordance with anembodiment. Method 300 starts and, at block 302, monitors standby key220 for user operation of the key 220.

Upon detecting actuation of the standby key 220, method 300 proceeds todecision block 304 where method 300 determines if the standby key 220has been depressed for more than a minimum duration. If no, method 300assumes that the standby key was actuated inadvertently and returns toblock 302 to continue monitoring for user operation of the standby key220. If yes, method 300 proceeds to block 306 where method 300 maydisplay a confirmation message with an option to abort. For example,method 300 may display on display 100 a text message such as “Nowentering standby mode. Press the standby key to exit”. Such aconfirmation message may be displayed for a predetermined time period toallow a user to abort entering standby mode if the user had actuated thestandby key 220 in error, or has changed his mind.

Method 300 then proceeds to decision block 308, where method 300determines if an abort instruction (e.g. the user presses any key) hasbeen received in a specified amount of time. If yes, method 300 mayproceed to block 310, where method 300 aborts the standby routine andreturns to block 302 to continue monitoring for actuation of the standbykey 220. If no, method 300 proceeds to block 312.

At block 312, method 300 enters standby mode and disables selecteddevice features. For example, the trackball 117 and keyboard 116 ofdevice 200 may be disabled for immediate actuation upon entering standbymode.

While the device 200 is in standby mode, it may be desirable for certainfeatures of the device to become active upon occurrence of certainevents. For example, the user may want an incoming telephone call toactivate certain keys on the keyboard 116. As another example, the usermay initiate an exit from standby mode in order to use a feature of thedevice 200.

Thus, at block 314, while the device 200 is in standby mode, method 300may monitor device 200 for incoming calls, and for user operation of thestandby key 220 (or any other key designated for exiting the device) toexit the standby mode. At decision block 316, if there is an incomingcall method 300 proceeds to method 400 (FIG. 4) as described below. Atdecision block 318, if there is user operation of the standby key 220,method 300 proceeds to method 500 (FIG. 5) as described further below.

Now referring to FIG. 4, shown is method 400 in accordance with anembodiment. Method 400 begins as method 300 (FIG. 3) detects an incomingtelephone call. In an embodiment, upon detecting the incoming call,method 400 enables selected keys for immediate actuation.

In one embodiment, method 400 may enable all keys of keyboard 116. Thismay allow a user to retrieve the device 200 from a pocket or purse andanswer the call by activating the call connect key 212 (FIG. 2).

In another embodiment, method 400 may enable the trackball 117 to allownavigation of a menu displayed on display 110. For example, the menu 110may display the incoming call telephone number and an associated callername (e.g. as provided by a carrier's call display function, or asretrieved from a local telephone directory), and allow the user tochoose to take the call (e.g. by depressing the trackball 117) or not(e.g. by not taking any further action).

In another embodiment, method 400 may enable only certain keys of thekeyboard 116 for immediate actuation. For example, method 400 may enablethe call answer key 212 and the call disconnect key 214, so that a usermay select to answer the call (by actuating the call answer key 212) orto shorten the ringing or vibration of device 200 (by actuating the calldisconnect key 214).

In yet another embodiment, method 400 may enable only the call answerkey 212, so that the user may only select to answer the call (byactivating the call answer key 212) or not (by not taking any action).

At decision block 404, method 400 may determine if the call answer key212 is actuated by the user. If yes, method 400 may exit standby mode atblock 406 and proceed back to block 302 of method 300 (FIG. 3). If no,method 400 may exit and return to block 312 of method 300 (FIG. 3).

Now referring to FIG. 5, shown is a method 500 in accordance with anembodiment. Method 500 may begin upon detection of a user action to exitthe device from standby mode at decision block 318 of FIG. 3. Forexample, the required user action may be activation of the standby key220, which in this case may act as a toggle key to initiate the exitfrom standby mode.

In an embodiment, rather than an instantaneous exit from standby mode,it has been found advantageous to provide a suitable delay. This mayavoid an inadvertent exit from standby mode when the user accidentallyhits the standby key 220. Thus, at block 502, upon user operation of thestandby key 220, a timer may start to time the duration for which thestandby key 220 is depressed.

At decision block 504, method 500 determines if the standby key 220 hasbeen depressed for a sufficiently long duration. If yes, method 500exits standby mode and proceeds to block 302 of method 300 (FIG. 3). Ifno, method 500 exits and returns to block 312 of method 300 (FIG. 3).

As will be appreciated, the systems and methods for providing a standbymode in handheld electronic devices as described above may allow a userto conveniently enter and exit standby mode for devices that may beprone to inadvertent actuation (e.g. when stored in or retrieved from apocket or purse).

In an alternative embodiment, the device 100 may be placed in standbymode in other ways, such as an auto on/off triggering event. Forexample, when device 100 first turns on during an auto on event, and nokey press is detected within a predetermined time period, the device 100may be put into standby mode without having the user touch any key. Asanother example, during use of the device 100, if there is no useroperation for a predetermined period of time, device 100 may time outand enter standby mode automatically.

Thus, in an aspect of the invention, there is provided a system forproviding a standby mode in a handheld electronic device, comprising: astandby key for initiating the standby mode in the handheld electronicdevice; a display for displaying a confirmation message of entry intothe standby mode; and a standby mode module for disabling at least onefeature of the handheld electronic device upon entry into the standbymode.

In an embodiment, the standby key is actuable with a single action.

In another embodiment, the display is configured to further display amessage providing an option to abort entry into the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the system further comprises user actuable meansfor aborting entry into the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the user actuable means for aborting entry intothe standby mode comprises at least one of the standby key, anotherdesignated key, and a trackball.

In another embodiment, the standby key is located along a first edge ofthe handheld electronic device, and is the only key provided along thefirst edge of the handheld electronic device.

In another embodiment, the standby key located at a recessed portion ofthe first edge of the handheld electronic device, such that the standbykey is substantially flush with or recessed from the surface of thefirst edge of the handheld electronic device.

In another embodiment, the at least one disabled feature is at least aportion of the keyboard and any navigation actuator provided on thehandheld electronic device.

In another embodiment, the system further comprises means for enablingat least one of a call answer key and a call disconnect key when anincoming telephone call is detected by the standby mode module.

In another embodiment, the system further comprises user actuable meansfor exiting the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the user actuable means for exiting the standbymode comprises at least one of the standby key, another designated key,and a trackball.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method ofproviding a standby mode in a handheld electronic device, comprising:initiating a standby mode upon actuation of a standby key in thehandheld electronic device; displaying a confirmation message of entryinto the standby mode; and disabling at least one feature of thehandheld electronic device upon entry into the standby mode.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises initiating the standbymode upon actuation of the standby key using a single action.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises displaying a messageproviding an option to abort entry into the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises aborting entry intothe standby mode upon actuation of a user actuable means.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises configuring at leastone of the standby key, another designated key, and a trackball as theuser actuable means.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises disabling at least aportion of the keyboard and any navigation actuator provided on thehandheld electronic device upon entering into the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises enabling at leastone of a call answer key and a call disconnect key when an incomingtelephone call is detected by the standby mode module.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises configuring useractuable means for exiting the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises configuring at leastone of the standby key, another designated key, and a trackball as theuser actuable means.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a data processorreadable medium storing data processor code that when loaded into ahandheld electronic device adapts the device to provide a standby mode,the readable medium comprising: code for initiating a standby mode uponactuation of a standby key in the handheld electronic device; code fordisplaying a confirmation message of entry into the standby mode; andcode for disabling at least one feature of the handheld electronicdevice upon entry into the standby mode.

In an embodiment, the data processor readable medium further comprisescode for initiating the standby mode upon actuation of the standby keyusing a single action.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for displaying a message providing an option to abortentry into the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for aborting entry into the standby mode upon actuationof a user actuable means.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for configuring at least one of the standby key, anotherdesignated key, and a trackball as the user actuable means.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for disabling at least a portion of the keyboard and anynavigation actuator provided on the handheld electronic device uponentering into the standby mode.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for enabling at least one of a call answer key and a calldisconnect key when an incoming telephone call is detected by thestandby mode module.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for configuring user actuable means for exiting thestandby mode.

In another embodiment, the data processor readable medium furthercomprises code for configuring at least one of the standby key, anotherdesignated key, and a trackball as the user actuable means.

While illustrative embodiments have been described above, it will beappreciated that various changes and modifications may be made. Moregenerally, the scope of the invention is defined by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A handheld mobile communication device,comprising: a keyboard; a navigation actuator; a dedicated standby keylocated along an edge of the handheld mobile communication device, thededicated standby key being the only key in the handheld mobilecommunication device for initiating entry into a standby mode; and astandby mode module arranged to disable, upon entry into the standbymode, the navigation actuator and at least a portion of the keyboard. 2.The handheld mobile communication device of claim 1, wherein thededicated standby key is the only key located along the edge of thehandheld mobile communication device.
 3. The handheld mobilecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the edge is the top edge of thehandheld mobile communication device.
 4. The handheld mobilecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the edge is the top edge of thehandheld mobile communication device, and the dedicated standby key isthe only key located along the top edge of the handheld mobilecommunication device.
 5. The handheld mobile communication device ofclaim 1, wherein the dedicated standby key is actuable with a singleaction.
 6. The handheld mobile communication device of claim 5, whereinthe dedicated standby key is actuable upon depression of the dedicatedstandby key.
 7. The handheld mobile communication device of claim 1,wherein entry into the standby mode is initiated when the dedicatedstandby key is depressed and held for a predetermined period of time. 8.The handheld mobile communication device of claim 1, further comprisinga display arranged to display a confirmation message of initiating entryinto the standby mode.
 9. The handheld mobile communication device ofclaim 1, arranged to provide a time-limited option to abort entry intothe standby mode.
 10. The handheld mobile communication device of claim9, wherein actuation of any key of the keyboard while the time-limitedoption has not yet expired causes entry into the standby mode to beaborted.
 11. A method of providing a standby mode in a handheld mobilecommunication device having a keyboard and a navigation actuator, themethod comprising: initiating entry into a standby mode upon actuationof a dedicated standby key located along an edge of the handheld mobilecommunication device, the dedicated standby key being the only key inthe handheld mobile communication device for initiating entry into thestandby mode; and disabling, upon entry into the standby mode, thenavigation actuator and at least a portion of the keyboard.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the dedicated standby key is the only keylocated along the edge of the handheld mobile communication device. 13.The method of claim 11, wherein the edge is the top edge of the handheldmobile communication device.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein theedge is the top edge of the handheld mobile communication device, andthe dedicated standby key is the only key located along the top edge ofthe handheld mobile communication device.
 15. The method of claim 11,wherein the dedicated standby key is actuable with a single action. 16.The method of claim 15, wherein the dedicated standby key is actuableupon depression of the dedicated standby key.
 17. The method of claim11, wherein actuation of the dedicated standby key occurs when thededicated standby key is depressed and held for a predetermined periodof time.
 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying aconfirmation message of initiating entry into the standby mode.
 19. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising providing a time-limited optionto abort entry into the standby mode.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising aborting entry into the standby mode upon actuationof any key of the keyboard while the time-limited option has not yetexpired.